How can they alter humanity? What's the difference for humanity since CERN found Higgs particle? In what ways could the potential dark matter particle detection alter humanity?
It’s a place where extremely skilled people work highly motivated on humanities hardest problems at scale.<p>CERN pushed distributed computing and storage before anyone else hat problems on that scale.<p>CERN pushed edge computing for massive data analysis before anyone else even generated data at that rate.<p>CERN is currently pushing the physical boundaries of device synchronisation ( Check „ White Rabbit“ ), same for data transmission.
CERNS accelerator cooling tech paves the way for industrial super cooling, magnet coils push super conduction…<p>Companies are always late in the game, they come once there is money to be had:
No one founded a fusion startup until we were close enough to the relevant tripple product.
Seems these are all positive things and it’s good that private donors are adding some money.
You are perfectly right, this has been similar to the "space industry" (which includes 'ballistic nukes' knowhow maintainance). The thing with a bigger collider is it seems there are, not that honnest, scientists retro-fitting models in order to reach 'appropriate for this new collider' energy ranges where 'new physics' could be found.
What does that even mean? The FCC is essentially the next plausible energy range we can probe with a collider.<p>Going larger would cost more, and add risk.<p>So like, yes? The obvious thing to do is to analyze our models and come up with experiments to do within energy ranges which are plausibly accessible with near future technology.
I misread the first bit as the hardest problem in the Humanities.<p>I’m not sure I have any idea what the hardest problem in the humanities is.
In what way would studying black body radiation alter humanity? Oh just the basis for quantum mechanics and thus transistors, lasers, MRIs, photovoltaics, and more.<p>The point is, you don't know in advance. I admit it's a bit more far fetched with these experiments that are so far removed from everyday life, but they're still worthwhile.
Cancer treatment goes back to particle physics research at CERN, the Web was born there, cloud was previously known as Grid Computing at CERN,<p>Three examples of how humanity would not be as we know it today without CERN.<p>As Alumni, there are many other changes that trace back to CERN.<p>We don't sit only on the H1 beer garden and go skiing.
I understand how linacs and even small compact syncrotrons can have practical medical and industrial applications, and I understand that in the past CERN has developed technology and produced research which is relevant to hardon therapy.<p>What I don't understand, and maybe you can clarify, is how the very largest gargantuan accelerators can ever have practical relevance. How can effects and products which can only be studied with accelerators that are many miles large ever have application in hospitals unless those hospitals are also many miles large? Not going to lie, I get <i>"NASA invented Tang"</i> vibes whenever this subject comes up; like the medical applications of small accelerators are obvious and parsable to the public, so they are used to sell the public on accelerators the size of small countries.
> Cancer treatment goes back to particle physics<p>Are you speaking about proton therapy? I don’t think there’s any evidence that works better than alternatives
Less that and more "we built a really complex machine and we can apply those skills elsewhere".